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 QUOTE OF THE DAY  |
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"Bring home the bagels" – PETA ruffled some feathers when it told people to stop using "anti-animal language." Oops.
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Robert Mueller
The Story
Yesterday, special counsel Robert Mueller said Michael Flynn shouldn't receive any jail time. Flynn – the former national security adviser – pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is set to be sentenced later this month. Now the special counsel is saying 'go easy on him.' And says that Flynn provided "substantial assistance" to the DOJ's Russia investigation. And may have convinced others to cooperate as well. Speaking of Russia...yesterday, Sec of State Mike Pompeo says the country has 60 days to get its sh*t together with the IMF treaty or the US will back out. The treaty is a Cold War-era missile deal that's kept everyone's trigger fingers on lock for more than 30 years. So some are hoping to see it stay in place.
theSkimm
This all goes back to whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to attack the 2016 presidential election. We know that Flynn gave info on interactions between President Trump's transition team and Russia. But that's pretty much all we know, which might show Mueller is not ready for the world to figure out more details about how Flynn helped.
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France
The Story
France is hitting pause on its planned fuel tax hikes. They were part of President Macron's efforts to fight climate change. But they've led to weeks of violent protests. Including this past weekend – which led to Paris's worst riot in decades. The hike was supposed to take effect next month, but now it's being suspended for six months.
theSkimm
Protesters have called out Macron for being out of touch, saying that living there is already too expensive. And these new taxes would especially hurt people living in rural areas who need to drive to work. Yesterday's move is a big concession from the gov and a blow to Macron's agenda. The gov says that the tax isn't worth risking the "unity of the nation."
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Israel
The Story
Yesterday, thousands of people in Israel protested over violence against women. At least 24 women have been killed there this year – including two girls last week – and most of them reportedly flagged police about their safety before their deaths. Now people across the country are taking a stand. A number of Israeli companies reportedly let women take a (paid) day off to protest, and protesters did things like paint streets red. Protesters also demanded that the gov implement a $67 million plan it promised last year on the issue.
theSkimm
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visited a women's shelter last week, where he said the gov needs to fight the problem. But he was called out for voting against a proposal to start a gov commission that would look into violence against women.
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Who people are thinking about…
Former President George HW Bush. Today is a National Day of Mourning in honor of the 41st president. Meaning: most federal employees won't have to go to work. Post offices will be closed as well as major US stock markets. The former president will be given a state funeral in DC today. After the ceremony, he will be taken back to Texas, where he will be buried at his presidential library.
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What to say when your grandma calls you the favorite…
Pause for fake shock. Yesterday, after a CIA briefing, a bipartisan group of senators said they had absolutely no doubt that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (known as MBS) ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. You've heard this before and you'll hear it again: Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this year. The Saudi gov eventually arrested 18 Saudi citizens in connection with the killing, but insisted that MBS wasn't involved. But pretty much everyone else (except the Trump admin) said the crown prince was behind the whole thing. Now, senators are doubling down and saying 'seriously, it's all MBS.' TBD if this pressures the Trump admin to change where it stands on the issue. In other news making the rounds in DC, the National Republican Congressional Committee said it was hit with a "cyber intrusion" ahead of the 2018 midterms and that it reported the breach to the FBI. There aren't that many details on this, including who may have been behind it. But the org – which is the campaign branch for House Republicans – didn't notify lawmakers about it.
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What to say when you hear former CBS CEO Les Moonves apparently destroyed evidence and misled investigators...
Not the only guy making you say 'ugh.' Yesterday, multimillionaire and alleged serial sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein settled a lawsuit that would have let some of his accusers tell their stories in court. To recap a bombshell report about the allegations against him: Epstein – who has connections to powerful people like former President Clinton and President Trump – pleaded guilty to soliciting underage girls and only got 13 months in jail. With work breaks. Yes, you read that correctly. This recent lawsuit involves a lawyer who reps some of Epstein's accusers. It started with allegations about how the lawyer conducted his investigation, and led to the lawyer countersuing for defamation. Yesterday, Epstein settled that lawsuit and apologized to the lawyer. But, you'll be hearing Epstein's name again. There's a lawsuit in federal court, which means his accusers have another shot at justice.
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Meanwhile, Ohio is losing a coach. Yesterday, Urban Meyer said he's retiring as Ohio State's head football coach after New Year's Day. This comes after a scandal over how he mishandled domestic abuse allegations against one of his now-former assistant coaches. But he said he's hanging up his whistle specifically to focus on his health. Speaking of things in the sports world, don't ask women if they know how to twerk. Ever.
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What to say when you hear President Trump called himself a "Tariff Man"…
He's not the only guy with something to say. Former VP Joe Biden thinks he's "the most qualified person in the country to be president." Want to know who's def not? Michael Avenatti.
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107.3 million
The estimated number of people traveling during the holidays this year. Psst...that's a record year for the US. Make your money go the extra mile with this credit card. Tip from The Points Guy: if you sign up now, you get major perks (hint: 75,000 bonus miles). Cha-ching.
PS: Once you sign up, check out this link for The Points Guy's tips to redeeming those miles…like a business class flight to Australia, Japan, or anywhere in Europe. Make your wallet fly, not cry.
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For when the holidays are stressing you out...
Hit the road, jack (frost). We partnered with Buick to show you how to get away in the perfect getaway car. Hint: it's called the TourX and it's our favorite way to literally put stress in the rearview. Watch here.*
For when you have holiday cookies for dinner...
Get some green to go with that red frosting. This service sends you weekly recipes and ingredients (vegetables included). It's all customizable and Skimm'rs get 60% off their first week. Get into it.*
For when it's cold outside…
Be a human burrito. Then spread the holiday cozy. Here are our gifts to get hygge with it.
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*PS This is a sponsored section.
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theSkimm50 West 23rd Street, Suite 5B; New York, NY, 10010, United States Update Profile
